While sitting in the press box Saturday evening, once he hit about the five-yard line, you could tell Raimond Pendleton was up to something.He took two elongated strides, much like an approach on a long jump, and then dove head-first into the end zone, making himself parallel with the ground.It made for a great [Nick Krug photo in the _Journal-World_][1] and an even better [clip on YouTube][2] **_(Viewer discretion is advised before watching this, as rough language is present)_**.Some eyes in the press box went straight to the ref standing at the pylon, watching him casually ease the flag from his belt in one motion and flip it in the air. Some eyes watched coach Mark Mangino go into a dead sprint from about midfield to roughly the 20-yard line sideline to greet his sophomore returnman.But here’s my question: Why was a flag thrown for diving into the end zone?In my mind, the NCAA needs to redefine excessive celebration. Heck, flagging it was even added into [EA Sports’ NCAA 08][3]. What fun is celebrating if you can’t even do it in video games?The thing is, we all know where the end zone dive stemmed from – [Reggie Bush][4].Bush used to do it all the time at USC (for example, there’s [this clip][5], and then check the 2:17 mark in [this clip][6]) and did plenty of other borderline celebrations, such as hopping over the goal line. He then furthered it in the NFL, making his flips even more unnecessary (check the 2:14 mark in [this clip][7] from last year’s NFC Championship Game). But guess what? It was never flagged.Not to accuse anyone, but this looks from afar like preferential treatment. If it wasn’t flagged from the first time Bush unnecessarily did it, it shouldn’t be flagged at all.And with a player as high-profile as Bush, especially in this day and age with the highlights being shown 54,387 times a day on 8,390 different networks, kids see it. And then [they start mimicking it][8]. Heck, they can learn to do it by tapping a button on their XBOX controllers once a ballcarrier gets close enough to the goal line.But let’s be honest – diving into the end zone is almost completely harmless (well, the only person it can harm is the diver, should they land awkwardly). It’s not as if Pendleton crossed the goal line, went to the nearest Central Michigan player he could spot and flipped the ball at his facemask. Some may consider diving into the end zone taunting, but I don’t. Now what Bush did in the NFC title game was an example of it being used as a taunt, as he slowed down, turned around, pointed at Brian Urlacher and then put on his aerial display. But Pendleton did nothing of the sort.The only thing Pendleton did was learn to never do it again.In my eyes, he was entertaining an enthused opening day crowd. And football is about entertainment. If it wasn’t, what would its relevance be to outsiders?Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking Mangino for tearing Pendleton’s door down after earning the flag. That was the right thing to do, and the best way to teach a player to avoid a silly penalty in the future. All I’m saying is the penalty shouldn’t have been there in the first place.Discuss amongst yourselves.**_KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene can be reached at rgreene@ljworld.com, or by phone at (785) 832-6357._** [1]:
[2]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmAYpAzNB34 [3]: http://www.easports.com/ncaa08/ [4]: http://www.nfl.com/players/reggiebush/profile?id=BUS294963 [5]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWiBhDLhMWg [6]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYAJibUhU8E [7]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt0VWbGue0A&NR=1 [8]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNi52xwpoo
